Shawn Tully

Watch this video (Via Michele Malkin), or at least the first 5 minutes of it. In it you’ll see Niki Tsongas tell two whoppers. Seriously – the first topic she covers is about consultation with a physician about end of life care.

She claims such counseling is not mandatory and would only take place at the behest of the patient with the doctor merely getting compensated for his time if the patient decides to bring it up.

Though not mandatory, as some on the right have claimed, the consultations envisioned in Section 1233 aren’t quite “purely voluntary,” as Rep. Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.) asserts. To me, “purely voluntary” means “not unless the patient requests one.” Section 1233, however, lets doctors initiate the chat and gives them an incentive — money — to do so. Indeed, that’s an incentive to insist.

That’s whopper number one. Number two is Tsongas’ attempt to claim that what she describes as her health care plan is the same thing they’re trying to put together for the American people.

Here’s the transcript of that particular moment:

CONSTITUENT: My question to you, Congresswoman Tsongas, is that if this is such a great plan, why did you opt out of it when you took the vote [loud applause, standing ovation]?

TSONGAS: People often say why don’t the American people have what those of us in Congress have. [Audience erupts] Let me explain what I have. Let me explain what I have. What I have is a tremendous array — you know, last year when I went to a discussion — what I have is a tremendous array of choices. And I made a choice based on what I was willing to pay for and what made sense in terms of coverage for me and my family. [Audience shouts out: “We want choice! We want choice!] This is essentially what we are creating for the American people. We are creating greater choice.

Tsongas is claiming that you will have the same choice she claims she has – pick from a “tremendous array”, make a choice based on “what I was willing to pay” and “what made sense in terms of coverage for me and my family”.

But you are not being offered any of that. None. You’ll be offered a very limited array of insuance that meets the criteria the government sets for entry into the “public plan” and will include mandated coverage you must buy whether you want it or not.

If you don’t believe me read what Shawn Tully of Forbes has to say about your “choices” contained in the bills:

The bills in both houses require that Americans purchase insurance through “qualified” plans offered by health-care “exchanges” that would be set up in each state. The rub is that the plans can’t really compete based on what they offer. The reason: The federal government will impose a minimum list of benefits that each plan is required to offer.

Today, many states require these “standard benefits packages” — and they’re a major cause for the rise in health-care costs. Every group, from chiropractors to alcohol-abuse counselors, do lobbying to get included. Connecticut, for example, requires reimbursement for hair transplants, hearing aids, and in vitro fertilization.

The Senate bill would require coverage for prescription drugs, mental-health benefits, and substance-abuse services. It also requires policies to insure “children” until the age of 26. That’s just the starting list. The bills would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to add to the list of required benefits, based on recommendations from a committee of experts. Americans, therefore, wouldn’t even know what’s in their plans and what they’re required to pay for, directly or indirectly, until after the bills become law.

Two blatant falsehoods within the first 4 minutes, put out there by a member of Congress who has either not read the bill or is purposely distorting the truth to make it sound more palatable. What’s interesting is it appears, given the response to both, that her constituents are quite aware of when they’re being deceived.

As an aside, about 9 seconds in you’ll see a sign which has a picture of Barack Obama with a Hitler-style moustache. Look carefully at the url on the bottom of the pic. It’s from an organization whose founder has, 7 times, run for the presidency of the US as a Democrat. Yeah, he’s a whack-job, but he’s the left’s whack-job.